An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Princess, Aunt Qingyi just came over to tell you that when you go to the main courtyard for breakfast later, please bring your sisters Chuntao and Tangshuang with you."

Two days later, in the morning, Jing Chunxi had just gotten up when Xiaoyu came up to the attic, holding up her skirt. She was eager to report before she could even catch her breath.

As soon as she said this she realized that her voice was too loud. She hurriedly covered her mouth and looked timidly at the princess, afraid of disturbing the morning tranquility.

"I understand. Tell them to wait downstairs first. No need to come up." Jing Chunxi sat in front of the mirror, his voice calm.

She knew it clearly in her mind - the reason why he specifically asked to bring the two older maids along was simply to inquire about their marriages.

My mother has always attached great importance to rules. This arrangement was intended to allow her to ask them about their intentions in person during breakfast, and it also showed that the host was kind and considerate of the servants.

She picked up a white jade hairpin and twirled it between her fingertips. The sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell onto the hairpin, creating a hazy halo.

Jing Chunxi looked at the faint light and felt inexplicably depressed.

In this life, Chuntao has been with her for nine years, and Tangshuang has been with her for six or five years. They grew up together since childhood, and they are very familiar with each other's temperament, preferences, and even the most secret thoughts in their hearts.

After being reborn, she knows better than anyone the precarious fate of women in troubled times. In this life, she vows to protect them and ensure a stable life for them.

But the more she thought about it, the heavier her chest felt—this was clearly a good thing, so why did it make her feel so lost? It was as if she had personally plucked off the branch that had been with her day and night, sending it to a distant place she didn't know.

The mirror reflected Hongfen, her eyebrows lowered, combing her hair. Jing Chunxi suddenly said, "Hongfen, have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to marry in the future?"

"I won't marry!" The little girl's hand trembled and the comb almost slipped.

Although she was a year younger than Tang Shuang, she was also past the age of marriage. If she had been born in an ordinary family, she would have met someone long ago. But she answered quickly and hurriedly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and even her voice was tense.

"Princess, please don't chase me away. I'm not going anywhere. I'll serve you in the courtyard for the rest of my life! Wherever you go, I'll be there."

"Look how anxious you are," Jing Chunxi gave a soothing smile from the mirror, her tone softening, "This princess naturally doesn't want you to marry early. I want you to stay until you are 22 like Chuntao, so that you can stay with me for a few more years."

"Anyway, I just won't get married." Hongfen is usually very gentle and quiet, but at this moment she pursed her lips, her eyes were stubborn, and every word she said was nailed to her chest, as if it was not a reply but a vow.

Whenever she thought of how she stood up for herself in her previous life and died tragically at the hands of that old beast, she felt extremely sad and heartbroken.

Jing Chunxi knew that she was gentle on the outside but tough on the inside, so he didn't say anything more and simply changed the subject. "When Chuntao comes back later, you should discuss this with her and see if there are any suitable candidates in the mansion who can be transferred to our courtyard. Select four or five people first and have Chuntao take good care of them. Ask Madam Zhou to teach them the rules as well."

"Yes, I understand." Hongfen responded in a low voice, her hands still combing her hair gently and neatly.

She and Chuntao had secretly anticipated that this day would come sooner or later, and had even secretly considered several times which person with a down-to-earth temperament and clean hands could fill the vacancy in the courtyard. But when the moment finally came, they still couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Before Xu Zize left Beijing, she mentioned that there were too few servants in her courtyard and she wanted to transfer some capable maids or even young eunuchs from the palace. Jing Chunxi refused at that time.

Her mother wanted to add more people to her family several times, but she refused firmly every time.

According to the princess's share, she should have four first-class maids, eight second-class maids, and at least eight or ten third-class maids and servants. The current situation in the courtyard is really too simple.

But she had been used to being relaxed over the years and had long been accustomed to the quiet life before her. She thought that it was not impossible to add more people to a wealthy family, but in the end it would be fine as long as there were enough people.

If you spend money only to end up with a group of people who are so restrained in their movements that they need others to support them when walking, it will only make things more difficult for you.

Qingqiu Courtyard.

"Mi Ma, Qing Yi, Zi Yi, you've worked hard. Go to the side hall and have some breakfast. Chun Tao and Tang Shuang will serve you here."

Jing Qiurong instructed gently, her eyes sweeping over the people standing by. Nanny Mi took the lead and quietly withdrew from the room with Qingyi and Ziyi. For a moment, only the soft clatter of dishes and chopsticks remained in the room.

Chuntao and Tangshuang listened to the instructions and then slowly walked forward.

Chuntao's fingertips trembled slightly as she took the chopsticks Qingyi had just set down. Just as she was about to serve the food, she suddenly fell heavily to her knees with a thud, the bluestone tiles making a dull thud. Before Jing Qiurong could speak, she spoke first, "Madam, Princess... I'm so sorry!"

The kneeling and shouting frightened Frosting, who was concentrating on fiddling with the pastries on the plate, so much that his hands began to tremble. He quickly took two steps back and looked at her in surprise and suspicion.

"Chun Tao, what are you doing? Tang Shuang, why don't you help her up!" Jing Chunxi waved her hand hurriedly, his tone filled with anger and pity, "Even if I'm reluctant, I will never let you be trapped in the mansion as old aunts for the rest of your lives."

Chuntao was so smart that she knew what was going to happen the moment she was summoned.

She has been tormented these days, worried about that man and feeling guilty about the princess and the lady's kindness over the years. She tosses and turns, unable to sleep every night.

Yesterday, when the lady sent Ah Qi out to do some work, the young man mustered up the courage to express his feelings with a blushing face, which was like a huge stone pressing down on her heart.

The scene of him swearing to serve the young lady forever and never marrying was still vivid in her mind. Now he acted like a traitor, and she was so ashamed that she wanted to hit her head against the pillar to declare her determination.

"When you first started clamoring to be my aunt, I never agreed, and my wife certainly wouldn't agree either."

Seeing Tang Shuang frantically helping Chun Tao up, Jing Qiurong placed a glistening meatball in her daughter's bowl and said with a smile, "Ah Qi begged the prince yesterday and came all the way to my courtyard. He sincerely asked for your hand in marriage and swore that he would marry you in his lifetime. How could you bear to break his heart? I personally guaranteed it for him."

Since her secret was exposed, Jing Qiurong simply said it out loud, her eyes gentle but not allowing Chuntao to dodge.

There was another "thump," and Chun Tao fell to her knees again, tears streaming down her collar. "If he's really willing to wait... I beg Madam Princess to grant my permission. I won't marry until after your wedding!"

She bit her lip and choked with sobs. She didn't care whether Sugar Frosting and Red Powder knew the truth, but she had already seen the affection that the Crown Prince had for the princess. Now she only wanted to postpone the wedding date and accompany the princess through the most important moment in the mansion.

"That means I agree. We can discuss the other details later." Jing Qiurong finished half a bowl of porridge and put down her chopsticks. She smiled and gestured for her to stand up. "Hurry up and stop kneeling. You are a lucky person. You will be the wife of an official in the future. You can't be so weak in the knees. People will laugh at us for being unruly when we go out of the Rong En Marquis's mansion."

"I'll return your indenture to you later. You can make an appointment with the old steward to go to the government office to have your slavery annulled. From now on, you'll be free."

Jing Qiurong suddenly felt relieved. This arrangement for Yu Chuntao was indeed the best - no unreasonable relatives, no difficult parents-in-law, and with the support of the Rong Enbo Mansion and Princess Anping, no one would dare to look down on her.

"I don't want to be released from slavery!" Chun Tao suddenly became stubborn and knelt down, refusing to get up. "Even if I marry him, I will come back to serve my master!"

"What nonsense! Are we going to let the people of the capital accuse us of abusing our power and bullying the officials' wives like cattle and horses?"

"Yes...I did it willingly!" Chuntao looked up and argued, her eyes becoming redder.

Jing Qiurong couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, we know you're loyal. Since you're a girl married out of the Rong En Marquis's mansion, just follow their instructions. It's not like you can't come back."

After saying that, he turned to look at Sugar Frosting, his expression slightly subdued, "And you——"

Seeing the lady's sudden gaze, Tang Shuang took two steps back in fright, almost stepping on the hem of her skirt, but her voice was firm: "This slave girl will not marry! What's so good about those stinky men!"